Thank You for Getting Me to the Finish Line

Tomorrow marks the last day of classes of my undergraduate career. Woah. Times flies! I know that is cliche, but the last four years have truly been but a moment for me. It is finally hitting me that in 13 short days I will officially be a Kennesaw State University alumna and be entering the work force with my Bachelors of Business Administration in Management.

I have a full-time job, beginning the Monday following graduation. I have told many of you, but in case you don't know, I am returning to Resurgens Orthopaedics full time. I am excited, as I always loved working there with some incredible people! I look forward gaining more experience and seeing where this path takes me. It's been truly a blessing to have this opportunity, and it was orchestrated by God! A little over a month ago, I injured my foot during the 5K supporting our upcoming Peru mission trip. I went to see one of the physicians and while I was there, I visited with some of my old coworkers and my old boss. Before this visit, I had all but completely slammed that door in my head that I would return to work there because I was not sure what I wanted to do. After catching up, talking about life and future plans, the possibility of my return came up. I know this was God, because I didn't wake up that morning thinking "I'm going to go get my job back today". He knew best. I am so thankful for the opportunities He has blessed me with and putting Resurgens back into my path! Not much beats feeling completely at peace with a decision and also feeling at home and loved at a place I will soon spend the majority of my time.

This brings me to my Intramural Sports job. Tomorrow is my end of the semester evaluation and although necessary, I will reluctantly submit my letter of resignation due to graduation. I knew this job was only temporary, but it has brought me a lot of joy. The people I have had the pleasure of meeting and spending time with have brought a lot of laughter and distractions at times I needed it. My boss has been a God-send in a variety of ways. During some difficult times, she was there for me to talk to and support me. God placed this job in my path exactly when I needed it. My senior year would not have been the same! So with a heavy heart, I will say goodbye to intramurals.

My brother-in-law has told me several times this semester, "you can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, and it's not a train!" How true this statement is. I'm feeling remarkably sentimental this evening, as I get when things come to an end. I know I owe SO MANY people thank yous for all they've done to get me through the past four years. I'm going to try to do my best to cover them all.

First of all, to my family. Momma, Daddy, Elizabeth, Eddie, and AK. The endless words of encouragement, financial support, prayers, and fun you have provided for me is not forgotten. Saying thank you to AK might seem silly to some people, but she has brought me so much joy. She is a special kind of motivation because I want her to be proud of her Aunt Reychel. I've spent many late nights completing homework assignments and taking quizzes in order to be able to fully focus and spend time with her when I went to Comer. Thank you Momma and Elizabeth for reading paper after paper while you both were also completing your own coursework. You both are inspirations to me. My other mothers, Mrs. Robin and Mrs. Deedra, thank you for all you do and all you've invested into me. You both have been monumental during this process, and I am so thankful to call you family.

Secondly, my best friends or as I consider you, my extended family. All of you, in one way or another have helped me through the last four years. Whether it is justifying my procrastination because having fun and making memories was more important, or telling me it was time to crack down and focus; all of these various ways have helped me. You guys have prayed me through many tests, told me not to stress, and let me melt down when I was completely overwhelmed. There have been times when I just wanted to completely give up, but you didn't let me. No matter how much you say I do for you, it will never equate to what you all have given me. You are family, and you have helped me through so much more than you know.

My church family. Every prayer, word of encouragement, text that was just checking in on me, time spent together and time invested into my spiritual walk during these years have made me who I am today. Thank you.

I have been blessed beyond measure. My blessings came from people, experiences, prayers God answered and also some He answered with no. The past four years will not be forgotten and the wealth of knowledge, academic and otherwise, will be with me forever. For that, I cannot thank everyone enough.

I am looking forward to having more time to write about this next chapter in my life. I cannot wait to share what new little things God will show me through my new experiences.

Until next time,
Reychel

Lessons

As my best friend Logan keeps telling me, we're gonna make it. I continue to hold dear to these words through all the crap that is going on. I would use a nicer word, but that's what it is. Crap. As I mentioned in my last post about heartache, 2014 has not been the easiest year so far. Currently, I am in the most uncertain stage of life I have ever encountered. It has caused me anxiety, worry, and many sleepless nights. Graduation is quickly approaching, the inevitability of my "being on my own" coming in the form of moving out and getting a big girl job, and the heartache of the trials going on in and around my life.

Despite everything, feeling like my life is a roller coaster of good days and bad days, I don't think I have ever felt God's love so strongly. I am learning some hard lessons, but the people God has so graciously surrounded me with have taught me some very important things. I want to share these with you.

1. Sometimes people are only in your life for a season.
I have an incredibly hard time letting go, as I believe I've mentioned before. Even in the darkest and suckiest situations, people you love and cherish will leave you. Sometimes by choice, sometimes due to their behavior, and sometimes because God takes them from us. We must always remember though, there's a reason for this. God knows best. Regardless of what I am going through, God has always provided one or two or three or more people in my life to give me just what I need. So, there may come a time where someone is no longer good for you or has served their purpose and it's time to move on.

2. TREASURE those friends and family you know will always be there.
My family is mine and I am theirs. They will never ever leave me and they will always love me no matter what I do in this life. God gave me my family as a representation of His love. I must remember they are a treasure just for me! I must treat them as so. If you're lucky, as I know I am, God will also grant people aside from your family in your life that will become like family. People that will become constants in your life no matter what season you are going through. You know who those people are, because you're thinking of them right now as you read this. Those of you in my life, you know who you are, you are a treasure to me.

3. If you are God's child, He will put you flat on your back as a wake-up call if needed
This is something we've been taught. Growing up in church, you know that God is a loving God, but He will chastise His children when needed. Even when you think you've done the worst thing you could ever do, God will still love you. God will pick you back up and put you where you need to be. That is a love greater than I can even fathom. This may not be a new lesson, but it's always one that humbles me.

4. When you don't know what the answer is, PRAY
I don't know what kind of job or where I need to be. I've gotten a couple of "you're not what we're looking for right now" answers to job leads. I am not sure what exactly I need to be doing or looking for in this next stage of life. But you know who does? God. I must pray specifically for Him to show me where He wants me. What He wants for my life. Cause I don't know! I need to stop thinking I've got it all under control, cause I absolutely do not. But God does.

5. Cherish the people who check on you and pray for you
Through these hard times, one thing is true. I am loved. Although not everyone knows my situation or every detail of what is troubling me (I've given you a glimpse now), I find people checking on me and letting me know they are praying for me. Even just these little things help me get through the day. I am so thankful to know I am not alone. God placed these people in my path on purpose.

It never ceases to amaze me how God so intricately works into every little thing in my life. Even in the darkest of valleys, God is there. He is my rock. He should have been more prominently relied on and these situations in my life are a tool God is using to bring me closer to Him.

Until next time,
Reychel

Heartache

So far, 2014 has been trying. There has been a lot going on in the lives of the people I love most. From trials to losing a loved one, no one around me has been spared heartache. I was thinking on this when I heard the song "Times" by Tenth Avenue North and these words spoke to me:

I hear You say my love is over, it's underneath, it's inside, it's in between. The times that you doubt me when you can't feel, the times that you question is this for real. The times you're broken, the times that you mend, the times you hate me and the times that you bend. Well my love is over, it's underneath, it's inside, it's in between. The times that you're healing and when your heart breaks, the times that you feel like you've fallen from grace. The times you're hurting, the times that you heal, the times you go hungry and are tempted to steal. In times of confusion, in chaos and pain, I'm there in your sorrow under the weight of your shame. I'm there through your heartache, I'm there in the storm. My love I will keep you by my power alone. I don't care where you've fallen or where you have been, I'll never forsake you, my love never ends. 

What is most important about heartache, is knowing that the only one who can mend your heart is the Healer. God puts these times in our lives for a purpose. Primarily, it is to strengthen and bring us back to God, but He also allows it to renew and strengthen relationships in your life. No matter what the situation is, good or bad, there's something about going through it with the people around you that brings you closer. When it brings everyone involved closer to God in addition to each other, that's the silver lining.

I have learned, after many trials in my life, to be thankful for these times. It reminds me of a Winter Retreat from several years ago, where the theme was "Broken". Psalm 34:18 says "The Lord is night unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit." God breaks our hearts in order to bring us to Him. When we are broken, we can be much closer to God in our daily walk. God is near to us when our hearts are broken. When we become our most vulnerable, we can truly see and feel Him. I have grown spiritually in times of trouble. They've made me a better person. This is what I rest in when I'm going through something. God has a plan and He will make me better through this.

Until next time,
Reychel

Age of Worry

I am, by nature, a worrier. This demon takes its own form of anxiety in my life and at times can make me sick. It's when I am most concerned and overwhelmed by things going on, upcoming, or burdens I may bear for my friends and family. 99% of the time, my worries are about things I wish I could fix or have no control over but they are causing people I love pain. I cannot stand to see those I love in pain. So my way of coping is to worry and attempt to bear their burdens with them. I know this is a tendency of many women, but with as much as I over think things, you would be surprised with some of the ridiculous scenarios I come up with in my head!

Not only do I do this when things are going on with others, I do this when I come upon unsure things in my life. Hence, why I sit here worried as I type this. Tomorrow is the first day of my last semester of college. I am entering into a phase of my life where there are a lot of unknowns. I am searching for a job, looking and talking about places to potentially live with one of my closest friends, and patiently awaiting the direction from God on where He wants me to go as I enter the next phase of my life. While I am excited, I am also juggling a million other emotions on how I actually feel about this. All my life, there's been a concrete answer to what came next. The next year brought summer break, a new grade/school, possibly a part time job (as I got older). But for the first time, what comes next is completely and totally up to me. It's surreal. I have to realize though, although I may be worried, it's okay to just let it out and move forward. I am blessed with an amazing support system and people who remind me I don't have to have it all together 100% of the time.

I have already submitted an application to what could possibly be my first "big girl" job. With much prayer, and support from others, I was able to begin taking these steps towards my future. I covet your prayers throughout this semester as I continue to make big decisions and search for the right place to be. The next five months are going to be a roller coaster. In addition to all these things directly affecting me, I'm privileged to be in two weddings for sweet friends, celebrate my best friend's 21st birthday, two of my friends will graduate from high school and I will graduate! I'll be posting as much as I can, but no promises. Once work and homework kick in full-force, I may not know what free writing time is, so bear with me!

Until next time,
Reychel

Number 1 from 2013, Bring it on 2014

For my last moment of 2013, I chose a lesson learned that I can bring into 2014. 

People change. Things happen. We grow up and apart. What remains is those people who care enough about you to invest the time in you and maintain a relationship. New relationships are cultivated and old ones slip away at times. I have been overwhelmingly blessed with wonderful friends, family, and friends who have become family in my life. As many people know, I have an incredibly hard time letting go. Although in my heart I know it may be time to move on and let someone else do their own thing, it is difficult for me to do the actual moving on part.  But God. 

God has continued to show me what good friends are and who He has placed in my life for very specific reasons. Friends are sometimes only for a certain season in your life, but that's how God meant for it to be. It's not that I have any hard feelings against any one particular person, it's just as we grow up, God has sent our lives in different directions, and that's okay. Jesus is a friend that sticks closer than any brother. Those people in my life that love me like Jesus does are some of the best examples of God in my life. They're the best friends I've ever had. God has a reason for everything, and He's certainly taught me, in many different ways this year, that I must trust His reasoning. 

That being said, I am so thankful for the many new relationships I have cultivated this year and especially thankful for those I have strengthened. I look forward to 2014, making new memories and continuing these friendships, because without them, I'm not sure where I'd be! 

So here we go 2014. It's going to be a wild and crazy ride. Here's to a lot of firsts, graduating from college, getting a job, and many other adulthood things I don't want to think about too much right now! :) 

Until next time,

Reychel

"Today is the first blank page of a 365 page book, write a good one"

Top 10 of 2013- 6-2

Winter Retreat

Normally right now I would be packing to leave for Winter Retreat with my youth group tomorrow. But this year, for the first time in as long as I can remember, I am not going. With that being said, Winter Retreat 2012/2013 was definitely a top 10 moment of my year. We kicked the year off in a common room with the entire youth group. A room full of the people I spend all of my time with and love more than they could ever know. I sat between Deedra and Trevor as we continually checked our phones and when it turned midnight, the room erupted. Everyone was up, hugging one another and genuinely enjoying the time away and with one another. Aside from being with my friends as 2013 began, we spent the first several days worshiping the Lord and preparing our hearts for trials to come throughout the year. Trips like this are always my favorite because of the renewal it brings to old friendships and new bonds with blooming ones. While I find myself extremely sad I am not joining the hooligans on the church vans in the morning, I know there will come a time when I can be a counselor and minister to a new group of youth kids and I will create new memories worthy of a top 10 of that year. 

Anna Kate

My precious bundle of joy niece turned two this year! It blows my mind how much she has grown over the course of this year. I find myself counting moments by gauging what words AK was saying at that time or what she may have been calling me. Over the course of this year I have evolved from "Reyssshhhhh" to full-blown "Aunt Reychel". That voice is the sweetest thing I've ever heard in my life. Elizabeth calls me a sucker, but I am totally okay with that title. During a conversation with Heather this weekend, she also accused me of being obsessed with her. I realize though....it's definitely an accurate statement. I never knew I could love the way I love her. Being privileged to witness many moments of her life this year only makes my heart swell with joy. AK is my little bitty best friend! I cannot wait to see what 2014 brings in AK jokes and firsts!

FRBC Youth & Summer Camp

In addition to attending my last winter retreat at the beginning of this year, I also attended my last summer camp for a while. I was a counselor and my mom wasn't there which were both strange conditions for me. I was technically a counselor, being 21, but I still felt like a camper in a lot of ways. First of all, the boys just used me as a "counselor" so they were allowed to walk up to the bluff by themselves, cause when we got there the staff member didn't believe I was a counselor! It was quite funny, and Deedra wasn't far behind us so it all was fine. (No one was injured haha) It was extremely bittersweet going to camp, being a counselor, and then coming home to do my last camp night. Going into camp I knew I would only be in the Youth until the end of July so it was important to me to make the most of my time with those that were not moving out with me. Memories were made, burdens were lifted, broken hearts mended. It was the perfect high note to leave on. It was difficult for me to finally step out of the youth because my heart has been in it for so long, but I have seen God show me it was the correct decision over the last few months. The youth has new members and is building its new group and I'm happy to witness it from the outside. God is working through Bro. Nick and Ashley to prepare this youth to do great things!

Cruise!

This is one of my most exciting and fun moments from this year, going on my first cruise! Brittany and I made the decision to do something awesome for Spring Break and we took a cruise to Belize and Cozumel together. The boat was beautiful, we made fun friends at the dinner table, and did some shopping and exploring while we were at each stop. It is a memory I wouldn't have wanted to share with anyone else. There's not many people I could spend 11 hours straight in a car with driving from Fort Lauderdale to home with ;). I'm thankful God has allowed our friendship to prosper through college and 2014 looks promising for bigger and better adventures with her!

Girls Day Out/Pumpkin Patch

During summer camp this year, I meshed an old girls group with a new one and somehow came up with a foursome that has brought me more laughs, comfort, and happiness than I expected. Destiny, Casey, Victoria and I make a silly little group. But we sure do love each other! Before school started back in the fall, we all went on a girls day to the new outlets in Woodstock and shopped, laughed, and made memories. In November, we took another day trip to the Pumpkin Patch and the Apple Festival, this time accompanied by Matthew! We had the best time. I love these girls with all my heart. I can't imagine sharing girls nights with anyone else. Although we aren't all the same, we all have different quirks that make it work somehow. What makes it even better is I can honestly say I have a close, cherished friendship with each individual in addition to be a collective group of friends. I know these are bonds that will last a lifetime. We're going to end up like our moms all spending time together away from our future husbands at least once a month or something, I can see it now :) 

Top 10 of 2013- Number 7 & 8

Intramural Sports Job

This semester I got the opportunity to get an on campus job, but when I applied, I had no idea what I was in for. So far, this has been the most exciting and enjoyable job I could have ever imagined having at school. Working with Intramural Sports has been a crazy ride. I've had the opportunity to meet tons of new people and also be on the soccer field even though I can't physically play much anymore. What began as a small commitment, grew into a larger time commitment because of how much I like it! I not only worked in the evenings, but I started doing office hours twice a week and getting to know my boss and the workings of intramural sports better. It was a great experience! So great, that I will be working four days a week in the office next semester. I find myself wishing I had found this job much earlier in my career at KSU because I am going to be so sad to leave when May and graduation comes. I am thankful for those I've met and the opportunities and encouragement I have received from my boss. This is one of my favorite "moments" from 2013 and I'm looking forward to what will be equally as memorable in 2014.

All Things School Related

Every time I turned around this year, I feel like I was doing something for the "last time" in my undergraduate career. I registered for classes for the last time, I'm currently on my last extended break I will ever have due to entering the workforce, I went to my last summer camp and winter retreat as a member of the youth group....just to name a few. For the first time I was recognized on the Dean's List this summer. I petitioned to graduate. All these things have crept up on me and I find myself realizing graduation is in a mere 141 days. (woah baby!) I only have 5 more classes to complete before I earn my bachelors degree in Business Management. I've been on this journey with many people supporting me along the way. I owe so much to the people who have prayed, encouraged, helped, and just been my friend during my time in college. I may not have started on this journey where I wanted to be, but I know that this is where I was supposed to be. Next semester will hold several more lasts leading up to a new start, but we'll get there eventually!

Until next time,

Reychel